Crystal
by froggyblues
Summary: Chapter 1 is up! Crystal is a seventeen year old girl sent on a quest to find her baby brother! MP R
1. Prologue

Prologue  
  
When I was a little girl maybe five or six I had horrible nightmares. I would wake up screaming for my mommy and of course she never came. Instead my cousin Jasper who was one year older came. Jasper slept in my bed many nights after comforting me from one of my nightmares. He was my best friend the only friend I had and I loved him very much.  
  
One thing that really bothered Jasper was that I could never remember the dream when I woke up. In reality I did remember but I would never tell Jasper he would never sleep again.  
  
Other than the nightmares I had what appeared to be the perfect life. I lived with my aunt and uncle in a fairly nice house on the coast of the tip of Florida. Jasper and I would run around our private beach playing and laughing the on days when we didn't have school. Every Sunday we were sitting in the pews of our church. And my aunt Jean made sure we both had all our homework done and kept up with our schoolwork.  
  
When we had long breaks from school like spring break or summer we would take trips to Europe and Hawaii and other fabulous places. My favorite place we ever went to was Australia. We had a ton of fun and it was there I met my best friend after Jasper Cameron. She was a gorgeous girl in the second grade. The same grade as me at the time and she lived in North Georgia. We had hotel rooms next to each other and we spent a lot of nights sitting and talking. But when we went home I never saw her again although we talked on the phone and sent letters back and forth we slowly grew apart. And then she moved and we never heard from each other again.  
  
Right before I started he seventh grade I met my mother for the first time. She had long almost black hair in contrast to my strawberry blonde hair and she had a large strong build while I looked almost to fragile to touch. The only thing I saw that made us look alike was our eyes. We both had vivid green eyes that Jasper says can pierce any mans heart. Anyways my mother barely even looked at me she visited with my aunt for a couple of hours in private. After that she left in a hurry and returned the next day with an infant in her arms. She handed the baby to me went back to her car to get a few of the baby's things. While she was outside with my aunt I looked at the baby boy in my arms which I presumed was my brother. He had hazel eyes and soft brown hair. He looked like a sweet angel. After my mother brought in all of his things she kissed my forehead and said "now you take care of your baby brother Crystal you hear?"  
  
"Yea mama," I replied looking up in surprise, "what's his name though?"  
  
"His name is Matthew and he is only 3 month old so you need to be very careful with him." She replied. She then turned and hugged Aunt Jean and tousled Jasper hair. My Uncle John came out of his office to bid her fair well and that was the last I ever saw of my long lost mother. 


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter one  
  
Beep, Beep, Beep! My alarm clock went off at 8:00 in the morning. What? I thought sitting up so I could turn it off , where was Matthew this morning? Normally my baby brother woke me up at 6:00 so that I could take him to the movies or the mall for an all day brother sister day but not this morning. Being the overly protective sister I was I immediately got out of the bed threw on my robe and padded to Jasper's room next door. I knocked on the door once then walked in to find groggy Jasper getting out of his bed.  
  
"What's up Crissy?" he asked using my nickname that he made for me when we were 9.  
  
"Matt didn't wake me up this morning," I replied, "I think he might be sick!" Jasper noticed how pale my face was and how my eyes were filled with concern. "Hey Hun did you even go look in his room to check on him?" He said pulling me down on to his bed so that he could give me a comforting hug.  
  
"No I need you to go with me. What if something terrible has happened to him? What if he is sick or even dieing?" I asked falling into his comforting arms. Jasper chuckled a little smoothed out my hair and said, "and what if he just over slept? Come on lets go check."  
  
With that Jasper pulled me to my feet and we headed down stairs to Matthew's room. I opened the door and was completely surprised to find Matthew wasn't there at all. I immediately panicked and Jasper quickly tried to calm me saying, "He must have already gone into your room looking for you and we missed him. The two of us headed towards the back stairs in the kitchen when I spotted a note on the counter reading,  
  
Dear Crystal,  
I have taken Matthew with me for a while so he can get to know his mom. I'm happy to see you have taken good care of him. See you when we get back.  
  
Love, Mom  
  
p.s. Your aunt Jean isn't really your aunt he was my best friend in high school.  
  
I immediately started crying and Jasper who had gone on up to my room came rushing down the stairs to see what was the matter. He took the note out of my hands and read it quickly then pulled me into a tight hug. "Oh Jasper!" I choked, "she's taken Matt away from me she won't bring him back he's to much of a charmer!"  
  
"Shhh, she'll bring him back I'll make sure of that," he comforted, "If he's not back by the end of the week we'll go find him ourselves!" He promised as I continued to sob in his arms.  
  
I guess it was my sobbing that woke my aunt and uncle up for a couple of minutes later they came rushing down the stairs. "What's going on?" My aunt asked worriedly, "is everything alright?" She noticed the note in Jaspers hand and reached for it my aunt read it with my uncle reading over her shoulder. "How could she!" my aunt exclaimed, "she swore never to do this and now she has and look what it has done to poor Crystal! Oh that woman I wish I had never befriended her! Jasper take Crystal upstairs to get dressed and take her out of the town! I don't care where you take her but call my cell phone tonight and I'll tell you when you can return do you here me! Oh and don't forget to pack some things I'll be up to help in a few minutes." With that my aunt and uncle hurried back to their room and locked the door.  
  
"Come on," said thoroughly confused Jasper, "it's best to listen to her when she's in these moods." With that he pulled me up the stairs to my room and as soon as he felt positive I was under control with my emotions left to get changed and packed himself.  
  
Inside my room I pulled out a t-shirt and some capris to wear. I quickly brushed my hair and pulled it back out of my face so I could do my make up. After I had finished with my make up I finally got down to the hard part, packing. I pulled out my travel suitcase I had for our school break trips and opened it up. Inside I still had a couple of things from our last trip months ago: A couple of hair ribbons, a Beatles cd, a stuffed frog Jasper had won me at a fair, and a wallet I had bought but decided didn't go with my purse. I opened the wallet to find a bunch of pictures I had taken. There was one of my aunt Jean mothering Jasper. Another of my uncle John and aunt Jean kissing each other, and another of Jasper and me laughing after a day of cousin togetherness. The last picture really tore my heart it was of me holding a sleeping Matt in my arms as we walked through a museum. He looked so peaceful holding a teddy bear and having his thumb in his mouth I almost began to cry again. I quickly put that picture and the picture of my aunt and uncle back into the suitcase then went to my closet to pull out some clothes.  
  
About a half and hour later I had my makeup packed, my accessories packed, a couple of special items of mine packed, and enough clothes to last me a couple of weeks. My aunt knocked on the door. "Hey sweetie," she said poking her head in, "can I come in?" I nodded and she slipped in closing the door behind her. "You know you mother didn't mean to hurt you she just wanted to have her son back." I quickly turned my head to keep the tears inside me from coming out. She took my hand "hey baby he'll be back soon and as soon as we get him we'll send for you and Jasper to come home, there's just a couple of things about our family you wouldn't understand ok?" With that I turned and hugged my aunt hard as the tears spilled out. She held me and rocked me until I was again empty of emotion then quietly got up to tell her son good bye.  
  
After she left I simply sat there for a few minutes just thinking about the end of he note. p.s. Your aunt Jean isn't really your aunt he was my best friend in high school  
  
Why would I care who she is? I thought she'll always be aunt Jean and he'll always be uncle John. The only person who won't always be special to my heart is you mother dearest! With that I walked over and tore up a picture I had of her on my dresser and threw the pieces out the window. I turned around to see Jasper watching me his eyes worried. "Ready to go?" he asked holding up his suitcase. I smiled grabbed mine off my bed and walked over to him. "Yep" I said grabbing his free hand with my free hand, "let's go." 


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter two  
  
"Where are we going?" I asked as Jasper and I got into the car  
  
"I'm not sure," he replied, "I've got a bunch of maps so I figure we'll just drive here and there until night fall. Mom said to get you far away from here and that's what I'm going to do."  
  
With that Jasper grabbed my hand and pulled me into his car. He walked around to the other side and jumped in. "Hey Crissy, hand me a map from under the seat. They all start at our house and go to another state all my other maps are in my suitcase I'll unpack those later." I reached under and grabbed one from around the middle of the pile. Jasper looked at it and said, "Well Crissy it looks like we are going up north. We'll probably stay in mid. Georgia tonight if that's okay with you that way we won't be getting in to late and can enjoy a nice dinner and a movie." I nodded and Jasper started the car.  
  
We were extremely quiet as he drove toward the highway. Me in my thoughts, he in his. But as we drove onto the highway Jasper started up the conversation again. "Hey Crissy, what did you think of that note telling you we weren't really cousins?"  
  
"Oh Jasper I could never think of aunt Jean and Uncle John as not being my aunt and uncle, I grew up that way and I don't care what she says!" I cried surprised he think that that would change things.  
  
"Well I for one was surprised and maybe relieved at the same time," Jasper said softly. I turned my head to look at him, his face was bright red at having said that. "What do you mean relieved?" I asked tensely.  
  
"Well, I think it was around when you were thirteen I started to like you like you, not as a cousin should. You were always gorgeous and sweet and just absolutely perfect, and over the years that feeling has just grown with you." Not sure as what to say I turned my head away again hoping beyond hopes that he was joking even though I knew this wasn't something Jasper would joke about. "So there you are," he said quietly after I was silent for a few moments, "that is why I was relieved."  
  
The rest of the drive we were fairly quiet. I was completely stunned and Jasper was completely embarrassed. Around 5:00 we pulled off the highway into a normal everyday town called Warner Robins. It was the location of an air force base. After stopping to get gas Jasper pulled into a hotel and got us a two-bed room on the first floor. We brought our stuff inside and finally Jasper started to talk again. "We'll probably be here for a week or so unless mom tells me to go farther or come home. Hey Crissy, I'm sorry I told you that earlier I never planned to I really didn't."  
  
"Oh Jasper I'm sorry," I cried as tears started to spill from my eyes, "it was so unexpected I didn't know what to do!" Jasper hurried over to pull me into his embrace as I sobbed. As he comforted me I cried for him, I cried for me, I cried for Aunt Jean and Uncle John, and I cried for Matthew stuck somewhere with my mother. And it was in Jasper's embrace that I realized I loved him truly as he loved me.  
  
After I had gotten dried up and cleaned up. I came out smiling as best I could looked at Jasper and said, "come on where is that dinner you promised me?" Jasper smiled to see me once again happy and grabbed my hand to show me a list of restaurants he'd found.  
  
We finally decided on Red Lobster, which was about a half an hour drive from here, according to the desk clerk. As we drove there I talked mainly about Matthew and how to get him back. Jasper listened to all my plans but I could tell he knew something else, something I didn't know or want to know.  
  
After dinner we went back to the cramped hotel and settled down for the night. I couldn't help but notice the way I felt when Jasper gave me his usual goodnight peck.  
  
A/N:I don't really like this chapter but it is going where I want it to go so I'll keep it for now. Thank you twistedgoddess88 for your reviews! Well I'll hopefully get another chapter up by Friday! 


End file.
